Monday, February 8, 2010

Lady-targeted man-items.

I've always thought that the idea of targeting women for man-items was a bit chauvinistic, stereotypical, what-have-you. Kind of a, men can't fend for themselves, women do the shopping and the homemaking sort of mentality. I have to say, as a media planner with experience on CPG brands, stereotypes exist for a reason. There generally/usually/almost always exists sales data, if not behavioral data, to support the stereotype, or no-one would keep targeting as such. But, I'm still not a huge fan.

I am going to give the below Old Spice ad a Get Out of Jail Free card, because it is absolutely hysterical. And, while it speaks to a woman, it plays up male humor. Win-win. I would love to see the programming list on this one - overtly female? Male? Both? I'm curious. Anyone work on Old Spice, care to comment?

Enjoy.


20 comments:

  1. As a woman with a chip on her shoulder re: sexist and stereotypical ads, this one I find funny. He's funny, he has a smile in his eyes, and I come away with: Old Spice.

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  2. Agree to agree. We'll let it slide.

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  3. I do like that you keep asking the questions. There is a lot of wrong out there, and there was "something" that bothered you about this ad...

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  4. Thank you :) inquisitiveness is the spice of life, no? I will do my best to keep asking the questions.

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  5. we buy gifts and do a lot of shopping no?

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  6. We do, yes. That's what I was saying about sales data - it must point to the woman as the shopper. I just don't like being pigeonholed.

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  7. A lot of male product advertising HAS been rubbing me the wrong way lately, but I have to agree with you...I don't feel patronized here so much as amused. The good news is I think Old Spice gets it.

    Kim C

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  8. Totally agree, Kim. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

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  9. I can't not like him. Which translates into me not being able to dislike Old Spice. But this then begs the question of whether the genius in the idea, the writing, or the casting and directing. My vote goes to the casting/directing. Had the actor been even a mildly creepy/skeezy/swarmy/chauvinistic guy, I probably would have found the ad merely stupid and off-target.

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  10. So true, he's incredibly charming. If he were to read me bedtime stories, that would be fine. Agree on the casting - I really would like to know whether they are actually targeting the ladies or the gents. Could probably go either way??

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  11. Maybe Old Spice is a unisex product? To sell, it would have to elicit the demand of both the men (they have to like it enough to wear it, and believe that it attracts the women) and the women (they have to like it enough to smell it and believe that it makes their men oh so much more dreamy and desirable.)

    Interesting might be a consumer-based survey of both heterosexual and homosexual men and women. Based on my reaction I'm thinking he won over all four quadrants!

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  12. Also very interesting. My guess would be that if they're speaking to women, their sales data says that the woman is the purchaser for her man. But, would like to see the demo-targeting on the campaign to confirm.

    Or perhaps we've thought about this way more than they have.

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Thoughts?